Samoskevich breaks tie in third, Kraken recover again to get past Mammoth
Forward scores at 14:35 following Cooley’s two goals earlier in period for Utah
By Darren Brown
NHL.com Independent Correspondent
SEATTLE -- Mackie Samoskevich broke a tie at 14:35 of the third period, and the Seattle Kraken recovered after blowing a two-goal lead for a 5-3 win against the Utah Mammoth at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday.
“It was a bit chaotic,” Samoskevich said. “The puck was bouncing everywhere and then came to Bobby (McMann), and he kind of just made a perfect play to me. I didn't have to do much there, so credit to him.”
After Utah rallied back to tie it 3-3 on two goals from Logan Cooley, McMann won a race for a loose puck at the top of the crease and found Samoskevich cutting to the bottom of the left circle. Samoskevich then one-timed it into an open net to put Seattle back ahead 4-3.
“I just saw him out of the corner of my eye because I wasn't sure if I could spin and shoot that one,” McMann said. “I would have tried to, but then he was there, so I'd rather it be on his stick.”
Jordan Eberle and Brandon Montour each had a goal and an assist, and Matty Beniers also scored for the Kraken (7-3-1), who have won the first two games of their four-game homestand. Philipp Grubauer made 33 saves.
It was the second straight game Seattle recovered to win after blowing a multigoal lead in the third period. They gave up a 3-0 lead before winning 4-3 in a shootout against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
“If you want to look at it from a positive standpoint, we're getting into a position where we're able to give up a multigoal lead and still win,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. “We've got to continue to play the game the same way that got us the lead, and that that comes with a little bit of experience, a little bit of time. What it says about our team's resilience in these situations, it says a lot.”
Vincent Trocheck scored, and Mikhail Sergachev had two assists for the Mammoth (7-4-0), who had won four of five (4-1-0). Karel Vejmelka made 18 saves.
“Obviously, a frustrating night,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “We did a lot of good stuff offensively, but we forced the play too much, and it’s disappointing. The way the Kraken play, they take pride in the way they play defensively, clog the middle a little bit.”
Eberle gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 3:38 of the first period when his shot from the top of the right circle was kicked away by Vejmelka before bouncing off the end boards and Vejmelka’s back, trickling into the net.
Trocheck’s power-play goal tied it 1-1 at 17:57 after Kailer Yamamoto won a race to a loose puck below the goal line. Yamamoto backhanded it to Trocheck in the slot, where he snapped it off Grubauer’s blocker and in.
“That’s a positive, the power play’s rolling right now,” Cooley said. “The second unit did a really good job. That’s an unbelievable play by ‘Yam’ in there to find ‘Troch’ there.”
Beniers put the Kraken back ahead 2-1 with a power-play goal at 18:23. Berkly Catton spun off Utah forward Lawson Crouse at the right hash marks, then passed to Kaapo Kakko at the right side of the net. Kakko sent a cross-crease pass to Beniers, who tapped it into an open net.
“Really good deception (by Catton),” Beniers said. “He's got a lot of skill, and then Kaapo made a great play to the back door. So, two really good plays.”
Montour pushed it to 3-1 with a 5-on-3 power-play goal at 2:23 of the second period, taking a pass from Eberle at the top of the right circle, drifting toward the slot, and firing a slap shot past Vejmelka’s glove.
Cooley cut it to 3-2 on the power play 27 seconds into the third period, deflecting Sergachev’s wrist shot from the point out of the air and under Grubauer’s glove.
“I think the power play’s been good for us,” Tourigny said. “I like when the wealth is spread like that. They came up big at key moments, too. It’s not just scoring, it’s scoring when it matters, and they had a big goal when it mattered.”
Yamamoto appeared to tie it with another deflection past Grubauer at 1:37, but the goal was overturned when video review confirmed that the play was offside.
Cooley then tied it 3-3 with his second goal of the period at 7:42, completing a give-and-go play with Sergachev after one-timing it past Grubauer’s left pad from the high slot.
Bobby McMann appeared to put Seattle back in front at 8:43, but Utah successfully challenged for offside and the play was overturned.
“I wasn't really thinking about it (potentially being offside), but I got back to the bench and saw it,” McMann said. “And then it was just moving on from there and continuing to work to try and get the next one.”
After Samoskevich gave Seattle a 4-3 lead, Freddy Gaudreau scored an empty-net goal at 19:00 for the 5-3 final.
NOTES: Montour has eight points this season (two goals, six assists) in 10 games this season, and has recorded at least eight points through 10 games in three straight seasons (nine in both 2025-26 and 2024-25). … Utah leads the NHL with 15 power-play goals this season. … Catton joined Beniers (four times, longest four games in 2022-23 and 2021-22) as the second Kraken player age 20 or younger to record an assist in three consecutive games.
